The longstanding federal ban on full-fledged sports betting, outside of a few states, seems to be on its last legs.

Later this year, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on Christie v. NCAA, a lawsuit from New Jersey that would overturn the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which effectively made state-sanctioned sports betting illegal in most states. …

So, West Virginia and about 20 other states are putting legislation in motion that would allow some form of sports betting in their states.

The Mountain State bill, SB 415, would basically allow the state Lottery Commission to license the state’s five casinos to offer wagering on sporting events. …

But it makes sense for West Virginia to prepare to enter the game – with a cautious approach to the amount of revenue it might produce. …

Sports betting could help prop up those revenues, at least for a while. But as legislators have learned with all the other forms of betting, competition, technology and politics will continue to shake up the gaming landscape. Long term, it is not such a sure bet.